Chapters 3 and 4 Summary

Chapter 3

Hope and Addie ordered dinner at the Welcome Stairways diner. The owner, G. T. Stoop, wasn't there, but they met Flo, an attractive African American woman, who was the floor manager. She was very friendly even when Addie grilled her about the freshness of the food. Addie smiled when Flo complimented her on her knowledge of food. Addie didn't tell Flo that she was going to be the new cook. They also met Yuri, a quiet Russian man who didn't speak much English. He acted as the host and busboy. When Addie ordered Russian dressing, he walked over, thinking she had called him.

A group of eight big men came in the diner and told Flo to put one of their posters that read, "Vote for Eli Millstone" in the window. But Flo told them they would have to get G. T.'s permission. He'd be in the next day. Hope didn't think it was funny when the men ridicule Yuri.

Up in their new apartment over the diner, they talked about how Gleason Beal had stolen all the money from the Blue Box restaurant where they had most recently worked. It caused the place to close down and forced them to take this job. They wondered if the police would ever catch up with him. Addie told Hope not to dwell on the past. But Beal had gotten close to Hope, telling her he'd always wanted a daughter like her. It hurt. Just like in all the other restaurants they worked at, Hope wrote in small lettering in a cabinet, "Hope was here."

Chapter 4

G. T. was nothing like Hope imagined. He was happy and talkative and positive—didn't seem like a man who was dying. He was sure that Addie would do a great job and improve business. He asked Hope how she was adjusting to the move. He told her he hated to change schools when he was young. G. T. told them not to mince their words around him—he planned to live longer than everyone. G. T. talked and laughed with Flo and all the other workers. He commented that since he lost his hair to chemotherapy, he didn't have to worry about getting hair in the food he was cooking. A tall young man entered the kitchen. G. T. introduced him as Braverman. He was the grill cook at the diner. Another waitress, Lou Ellen, wasn't very friendly. She grilled Hope about her experience as a waitress.

G. T. was cooking something, a surprise, that he'd serve everyone after the Memorial Day parade the next day. Hope was prepared not to be impressed—after all she'd seen all the big parades in New York. At the parade, she watched as the high school band marched by followed by several floats decorated in red, white and blue with some carrying war veterans. She noticed several banners that read, "Vote for Eli Millstone for Mayor." Braverman commented that Millstone had been mayor for eight years and that he was too powerful for anyone to run against him.

After the parade, everyone gathered in a park off Grimes Square. A troupe of tap-dancing kids performed and Mayor Millstone served as the MC. Hope longed to be back in Times Square and watch the jazz fusion dancers perform. G. T. asked Millstone if he could borrow the mic and make a short announcement. G. T. started off by referring to his illness which, he said, had make him too weak to stand all day and cook. He told the crowd that he needed a desk job and therefore had decided to run for mayor. Everyone, especially the Mayor, was stunned. G. T. explained that that with cancer staring him in the face, he decided to make every minute count. He wanted to bring fairness and unity to the town.

G. T. told the crowd that he intended to fix the roads that have been neglected and help the poor. He would force the Real Fresh Dairy to pay up their past due taxes. They hadn't paid taxes in five years and owed $750,000 to the town. The mayor became flushed and angry and denied everything G. T. said. But G. T. had confirmed the dairy's non-paid taxes with the assessor's office that very day. The mayor grabbed the mic and bragged about how he had brought Real Fresh Dairy to the town. The dairy had created jobs and brought other business to the tow. But G. T. pointed out that Real Fresh had run a lot of small dairy farms out of business.

Chapters 3 and 4 Analysis

Chapter 3

Addie is proud of her knowledge of food and is flattered by Flo's compliment. It's been her life and she appreciates being recognized for it. Hope is a sensitive and kind person. She feels bad for Yuri when the men make fun of him. She relates to him. Yuri came from Russia and probably feels like a real outsider. She knows how he feels. Gleason Beal was responsible for the restaurant where Addie and Hope last worked closing down. He stole the money from the restaurant and took off. Apparently, Hope was hurt by her relationship with him. He had developed a father-daughter connection with her and then left. It was another abandonment to suffer through and the incident pointed to her emotional needs and vulnerability.

Chapter 4

Hope is surprised by G. T.'s positive attitude. She had expected the man who was dying to be sad and morose. But G. T. is living life to the fullest and enjoying what time he has left, and by doing so he is an example to everyone. Hope still misses New York City and has a slight condescending attitude toward the small town she's landed in. Perhaps she'll learn that it's more important to have people like herself than to be amid a throng of strangers. But Hope is adjusting and she's been hurt so many times that she has reason to be a little apprehensive.

The mayor of the town seems to be a bully and a power monger. He apparently is associated with the large dairy farm in town that owes back taxes and forced small farmers to go out of business. Why is the mayor so protective of the dairy company? Could he be on their payroll? G. T.'s challenge to the mayor is a brave move for a man who is just a diner owner and a cook and a man with a terminal disease. Hope is encountering a number of complex issues in her new hometown.